Smile Like You Mean It
by OCDdegrassi
Summary: When Fred finds out that Percy is dating Penelope, he can't bring himself to feel happy for his brother. Incest.


**Title:** Smile Like You Mean It  
 **Author:** OCDdegrassi  
 **Pairing:** Percy/Fred  
 **Rating:** K+  
 **Warnings:** Incest (Slash), Angst, Unrequited Love, Jealousy  
 **Note:** My computer crashed, and I lost a ton of rough drafts for my stories, so I kind of lost my inspiration to write for a while. But I'm trying to get back into the swing of things now, and I've wanted to write this pairing for a while, so here it is. The title is inspired by a song with the same name by The Killers.

xxx

"Ginny - what did you see Percy doing, that he didn't want you to tell anyone?" Harry suddenly asked. I pretend to be casually listen at the mention of my older brother's name.

"Oh, that," says Ginny, giggling. "Well - Percy's got a girlfriend." I drop a stack of books on George's head.

"What?" I feel frozen in shock and my heart seems to have stopped in my chest.

"It's that Ravenclaw prefect, Penelope Clearwater," Ginny continues. "That's who he was writing to all last summer. He's been meeting her all over the school in secret. I walked in on them kissing in an empty classroom one day. He was so upset when she was - you know - attacked. You won't tease him, will you?" she adds anxiously. I feel sick, but I plaster a mischievous grin on my face that makes my cheeks hurt.

"Wouldn't dream of it," I respond.

"Definitely not," adds George, sniggering, though he glances over at me with concern in his eyes that no one else will notice. I hope that I look more excited than I feel. After all, I should be excited. This is the perfect information to hold over Percy's head and torment him with. So why do I feel like the world has been turned upside down and everything is moving too slowly? George seems to be the only one who can see through my act.

Percy has a girlfriend. The information seems to sink in like a poison that spreads through my body. He's dating someone who isn't _me_. It's not as if I ever assumed that Percy would date me; I'm not completely daft. But actually facing the reality of it is far more painful than simply knowing. George pulls me away from Ginny and the others to begin "plotting" in another empty carriage, and I follow in a daze. Once the door is shut, I finally let my smile drop as my twin turns to me with a worried expression.

"Are you okay?" He asks cautiously, and I know that he's unsure of what to say. We don't talk about our feelings much, preferring to crack jokes even in private, so this is out of our comfort zones. But George has always been the more sensitive twin; he's giving me the chance the talk about it if I need to, but I'm not sure that I want to. I'm not sure of anything anymore. I nod numbly, swallowing over the lump in my throat.

"Mmhm, why wouldn't I be?" I give George another fake smile that my twin can see through immediately. I knew he would, but I had to do _something_. George sighs, obviously having an inner debate with himself about what to say next in order to make me feel better.

"It doesn't mean they'll last…" he tries weakly. I can't help the pathetic laugh that escapes my lips.

"Perfect Percy is the epitome of a committed man. I'll be surprised if they're not married one day." I'm surprised by the amount of bitterness that I hear in my own voice. I hate Penelope. I hate Percy too. He's an arrogant, annoying git. So why the hell do I love him? I don't even know. I just know that I love the way he chews on the end of his quill when he's thinking, and the way he tries to hide his smile behind his hands when he thinks one of our jokes is funny because he doesn't want to seem immature.

I love the way that Percy reacts whenever we prank him - spluttering, going red from his ears down to his neck; he looks so adorable when he's angry. It's part of the reason that I tease him so much. But more than anything, I love when Percy lets his guard down, just for a moment, to be himself. When he smiles brilliantly and laughs in a way that makes my stomach squirm uncomfortably.

I hate Percy for making me feel so bloody emotional. But I hate myself too, because deep down, I still hope that something will happen between us; that one day, there will actually be an _us_.

xxx

 **A/N:** Reviews are always lovely.


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